Tortellini with Blush Alfredo

I feel like the title makes this sound way more impressive than it actually is. In all honesty, this is not so much a recipe as me sharing with you one of my toss together meals when I need a quick fix.  It is what my sister would call "semi-homemade" (or the food network, whatever). Using my typical kitchen staples, I am able to make a decent pasta dish in about 15 minutes.

 This kind of started out because I never liked jarred Alfredo sauce, yet when I lived with my mother she always seemed to have it in her pantry. My mom has this one pot "wonder" she would make at least once a week with chicken and whatever veggies she had with Alfredo and either a gallon of oil or a pound of butter. I may be exaggerating with the amounts of saturated fat she used, but probably not by much. The food would glisten. I grew to hate this dish, along with a lot of my mothers cooking. Don't get me wrong, I love my mother. She is a wonderful woman who has taught me many things. Cooking healthy is not one of them. I try to encourage her to make some changes in her diet and cooking habits. Old habits are hard to squash; one day I hope she takes to heart what I share with her.

I can be a bit overbearing with the "healthy lifestyle" tips with my family, only because I care and don't want to see them succumbed to cardiovascular disease or any sort of cancer. I have learned alot about what we put into our bodies lately. I would really like to share that with whoever is reading this. Right now is probably not the best time to go on that tangent though, since I am about to share a quick meal that I have probably made more over the course of the years more than I have ever made any other specific meal. Like I said, before my ramblings took ahold of me, this idea originated when I was not fond of the taste of the jarred Alfredo sauce. I added some red spaghetti sauce and found it made pink! There goes my blush sauce. Even better, one night I did not have any red sauce so I dumped a can of diced tomatoes into the Alfredo. I have never looked back.

• Frozen tortellini or ravioli (any pasta really...whatever is on hand)
• Jar Alfredo sauce
• Can diced tomatoes
• One bag frozen broccoli, green beans, or peas (I like broccoli the best, but again, whatever you have will work. Especially if it is green.)

Prepare the pasta according to the package instructions. Combine the Alfredo, tomatoes, and vegetables in a medium sauce pan and heat. Combine and Voila! YUM

I made this as my Meatless Monday meal this week. I had some leftover chicken from the weekend, which I then shredded up and added to my leftovers for Tuesdays lunch. This is very versatile so use your imagination. This is not a recipe, but a quick meal idea. Take it and run with it. Some nights you just don't have on hand what a recipe calls for and you make do with whatever you have. That is the beauty of cooking!